Hello again!

As usual, thanks for all the reviews, favourites, follows, and everything in between!

Not much to say for this chapter, other than that it's a more Tai-based than the others, and that there's no fighting. Which, I know may sound pretty boring, but everything's still in the 'gearing up' phase, if you will.

Review responses have been moved to the end of the chapter.

Without further ado, enjoy!

As Raiden Sparred, on The Other Side of Mistral…

"Here we are." Leonardo's assistant opened the door to the villa. He held it open and stepped to the side, allowing Jaune and Taiyang to walk inside.

Jaune looked around the interior. The walls were painted a relaxing cream, well lit with furnitures selected make its inhabitants feel especially comfortable. The living room had a sofa, an armchair, a dining table, and even a fireplace to top it all off. Off to the sides were the kitchen and a set of stairs leading to what he assumed to be bedrooms.

"Looks comfy." Taiyang voiced, agreeing with Jaune's thoughts. He looked at the swordsman, "Staying here shouldn't be too bad, don't you think?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Jaune smiled a little. "All in all, this place seems pretty nice. I could definitely get behind this... What was your name again?"

"It's Kuro."

"Yeah, thanks for this, Kuro."

Leonardo's assistant, Kuro, finished it. "Then if that is all, I will be returning to Haven." He gave a bow, "We hope you enjoy your stay."

The assistant closed the door behind him, leaving Jaune and Taiyang alone with no one else.

"So…" Taiyang began, "Got any plans?"

Jaune shrugged. "Not really."

"Good." Taiyang responded, "I wanted to talk to you about something, now that we're alone."

'Without Raiden.' went unsaid. Jaune nodded, "Sure thing." He walked over to the dining table and pulled a chair out, sitting down on it as he motioned Taiyang to do the same.

Taiyang did the same, sitting across from Jaune. He looked at the swordsman with serious eyes. "Listen… it's about your family and friends."

Jaune almost flinched, almost. Instead, he leaned back on his chair, pushing it slightly back on its rear legs. He put his left arm behind his head. "What about them?"

Examining Jaune's reaction, Taiyang decided to put it bluntly. "Why don't you try getting back together with them, once all of this' done?"

"And what, go back to being a student at Beacon?" Jaune chuckled. There was a bit of hollowness in it, Taiyang was sure he heard it right. "No thank you. Going back won't get my blood pumping enough."

"There's more to being Hunter that a good fight, Jaune." Taiyang said in a convincing tone. He leaned forwards, placing his hands on the table with a smile on his face."It's about helping others, and making the world just a tad bit safer."

"Heh, I knew that. It's just…" Jaune waved around with his hands. "I don't know, just not for me anymore. You know how it feels, right?"

And begrudgingly, Taiyang had to admit inside that he did know what it was like. At a time when he had no motivation anymore, where everything seemed bleak. When there didn't seem to be an end goal in sight.

Back when Summer had…

Taiyang shook his head. No, that was what he was trying to prove to Jaune right now. That there's light at the end of the tunnel. Fighting alongside the ones you love to make the world a better place, while also operating within the boundaries of all that danger.

But convincing Jaune will take time, time that Taiyang was willing to sacrifice. Hunters and Huntresses are patient. The shield of civilisation had to be patient. They had to be considerate, accepting of others, and be willing to fight for the greater good. Not crossing the lines unless absolutely necessary. That was the basis of all Hunters worth their salt.

And because of that, he's sure that everyone Jaune knew will accept him again, once the samurai had seen reason. He's already a good fighter, now it's just time to convince him to think like a Hunter.

This end will be their happy ending.

But then, he didn't know if maybe he thought for too long, or if Jaune just got bored. The samurai leaned forwards with a sigh and stood up from his chair. "There's nothing left for me there, Tai, no matter how you look at it. And really…" He sent a small smile at Taiyang. The light didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine with that. I've been alone this long, so what's the matter if it's for the rest of my life?"

With his piece said, Jaune turned around and walked up the stairs, intending to claim a bedroom and spend the rest of the day there. He left Taiyang alone with his thoughts.

The Hunter took this information all in and closed his eyes. He sighed. He had a lot of work to do.

The Next Day, Early in the Morning…

Raiden opened the door to the villa, entering it for the first time. After he had his spar with Blu, he decided to stealthily roam the town, only coming here after he'd spent the night away. It wasn't anything too serious, he just wanted to take small notes on which places were safe, which were dangerous, and which had the most potential for a combat zone.

Besides, using some of his remaining Dust reserves, sleep hadn't been something he needed. All he had to do was crush an Electricty Dust crystal and he'll be refueled by 25% With enough reserves, he could go on with no stops at all.

Raiden closed the door behind him and looked around the living room. He spotted Taiyang, sitting on the dining table eating a sandwich. Most notably, he had bags under his eyes.

"Morning." Raiden greeted.

"Yeah, you too." Taiyang answered while Raiden still had his back to him. He had his eyes on a peanut butter sandwich he made as breakfast. He took a bite out it, his shoulders sagging in relax with every bite.

Raiden turned around again, this time looking more intensely at Taiyang's tired frame. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah… barely got two hours." Another bite, then the Hunter chewed and swallowed. "Had a lot of things on my mind."

"Hm." Raiden mulled over his thougts. Shrugging, he decided to pull up a chair and sit across Taiyang.

Taiyang noticed this while chewing another bite of his sandwich. He waved his sandwich at Raiden with his mouth still full. "Wanf som?"

Raiden chuckled. "Heh, no, thank you." Proving that,he pulled out an Electricity Dust Crystal and crushed it in his hand. Electricty sparked, his eyes flashing red for just a moment as the electricity redirected its flow into his hand, eventually being absorbed into his energy reserves.

Taiyang swallowed, then whistled. "Real flashy." He stated. The Hunter smiled at Raiden, "I bet it doesn't get old, does it?"

Raiden smirked, "Not even a little."

Taiyang nodded and went back to eating his sandwich.

A thought hit Raiden. 'Wait, wasn't he Blu's teacher, before he came to Haven?' He mulled it over as Taiyang kept eating. 'Right, right, I remember now. Maybe I can ask him about the Academy life a bit more, see what else Blu can work on.'

"Taiyang."

As Raiden said that, Taiyang bit the last of his sandwich and swallowed it down. He brushed off his hands and looked at Raiden curiously. "What is it?"

"I sparred with Blu yesterday."

"Oh?" Now Taiyang was interested. He leaned forwards, intrigue in his eyes. "How'd he do?" He needed to know, even if Raiden most likely held back. Blu was his student, after all.

"For starters, he's not bad at all for someone so young…" one of them spoke.

Taiyang nodded along. "Mhm…"

Meanwhile, the faint sound of footsteps descending the stairs could be heard, but the two of them ignored it.

Raiden continued, "…but he's still got a lot to learn before he's ready. I want to teach him, at least to make sure he survives. So I need to know." Raiden leaned forwards, hands on the table. "Other than the usual classes, do Hunters-In-Training have anything else going on?"

"Well they do have missions…" Taiyang trailed off. "Easy-level ones, with proper supervision from the staff."

"You're not really telling me that kids like that are the ones you're sending out for missions, right?" Raiden said incredulously. "Like I said, Blu's nowhere near ready."

Taiyang took a slight offene to that, but he let it slide. He could see Raiden's point, but it was still a bit moot."Raiden…" The Hunter began, sounding as calm as he could. "The missions theyget are ones especially approved by the Headmaster. I'm sure he won't send them on anything too dangerous. And besides, you can't deny that they need field experience, right?"

"But they haven't even gotten proper training for the last three months!" Raiden denied hotly. His short fuse was starting to run out. "What the hell is this, you can't tell me the world's that desperate!"

The footsteps settled down, Jaune standing at the floor of the stairs and looking at them in interest. However, Taiyang and Raiden still didn't recognise that he had arrived.

"The Grimm are evolve, Raiden. They get stronger, they adapt, and most of all they're relentless. But even so, they have patterns. Students need live training if they ever want to know how to defend themselves once they graduate." Taiyang crossed his arms over his chest. "This is the closest to a controlled environment as we can get. Well," Taiyang paused, then shrugged. "One that actually counts, at least."

"Then don't send kids." Raiden bit out. He sighed, and composed himself. "Look, if Blu's anything to go by, they're good. I'll admit that with all of my heart. But out there, it's more than just skills. It's about maturity, about drawing lines and knowing when to cross them. Are you really saying that people who aren't even out of their teens yet are the same ones that know when to pull the trigger?"

"That's why we've got senior Hunters in each mission, so they get to know beforehand!"

"That's wishful thinking, Tai."

Jaune coughed into his hand. The two stopped arguing and looked at Jaune, hair messy and his eyes sprinkling with amusement. He was clad in pajamas, with its right side hanging loosely with no limb to fill.

"You know, before we get into allll~ of this, there still one thing we need to ask." Jaune smirked. "Do we have any money?"

"Right, right…" Taiyang muttered. "Well, Kuro-" At Raiden's odd look, Taiyang added, "The assistant, told me that the money would be sent to my account. Sine I couldn't sleep last night, I already took it out by the time dawn was out."

Taiyang shifted around and grabbed two envelopes from his pockets. He handed one to Raiden, got off the chair, and handed the other one to Jaune.

"Inside is 1000 Lien." Taiyang said. Jaune opened the envelope with his hand and took a look inside it. The samurai whistled. Taiyang continued, "You guys can do whatever you want with them, as long as you can manage the money that is."

"So I'm assuming he gave us 3000 Lien?" Raiden asked.

"Correct."

"Hm…" Raiden looked at Jaune curiously, his eyes saying 'Is that a lot?'

Jaune nodded just a bit. 'More than enough.'

Taiyang looked on as the two telepathically communicated. He shrugged. 'They can do whatever, really. They'll be responsible… I hope.' Well, it's not like he can stand around here for much longer. The air between him and Raiden was getting quite thick, and he'd rather avoid another breaking point.

He wasn't a bad guy, it's just a difference of opinions.

"Well if that's all, I'll be leaving to get some souvenirs for Ruby and Yang." He turned around and walked to the exit door. "See ya."

"Get them something nice, Tai!"

"Yeah, that."

In response to those two, Taiyang smiled back, just a little. Then, he closed the door and went off by himself.

"So…" Raiden trailed off. "The plan, Jaune?"

"I think it's about time we start thinking about blending in, don't you agree?" Jaune asked. He put his envelope in his pocket, his pajama pocket.

"Yeah, you're right. The kids were staring at me yesterday…." Raiden trailed off. Not to meantion forcing himself to walk around Mistral in the shadows. I mean, what'd would normal people say? Stand there and gape, or even worse, report him to the local authorities?

But then, a thought hit him. He looked at Jaune up and down."Wait a second. Where'd you get those pajamas? I thought you didn't bring anything else to Remnant?"

"Oh, these were already on my room when I got in ." Jaune said, "Other than this, there's really not much else in there."

"Nothing else?" Raiden asked again.

"Nada." Jaune answered.

Raiden sighed. Like it or not, looks like he has to wear nothing again today. And walking in the middle of the city this time, too! They're practically screaming for attention.

But then again, what choice did he have?

"I can't believe you're doing this." Raiden groaned, shaking his head while walking side-by-side with Jaune along Mistral's shopping roads,

"Hey, it was either this or going butt-naked. Unlike you, I actually have skin to show off." Jaune smirked, still wearing those embarrasing pajamas with the addition of HF Murasama strapped to his right hip. "And besides, this" Jaune motioned to his entire attire "is the comfiest I've been in a long time. Why shouldn't I wear it?"

"I don't know, common sense?" Raiden snarked.

"I look awesome!"

"You look like a brat!"

"Hmph. Like you're one to talk about awesome…" Jaune smirked mockingly, "Mr. Lightning Bolt."

"Come on, that's the best nickname I've ever gotten!" Raiden defended hotly.

Jaune chuckled and rubbed his chin, "Then I wonder how low your standards must be…"

"Tch!" Raiden clenched his jaw.

Jaune chuckled. "Alright, alright. Anyway…. " Jaune stopped in his tracks. He turned to his left, now standing right in front of clothing store. "We're here."

Raiden stopped too, standing to Jaune's left. "Finally…" The ninja sighed. He didn't know how much longer he can bicker right now… 'Heh, even if it was a little fun.'

Just a bit, though.

Raiden asked first, "So, what makes this place so special? I can't remember anything unique about this place last night."

"Hm? Oh, not much, really. I just picked it on random." Jaune waved a hand absentmindedly. "But from what I know, there have been a few Hunters who bought their clothes from here. Usually they tend to dress a bit... eccentrically." Jaune shrugged. "Least we can do is get something that's not too weird, but still a bit Hunter-ish, get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah." Raiden muttered. Then, he asked again, "You think this'll hit our budget much?"

"Eh, not really."

"Good to know." Raiden nodded. "Let's get in, shall we?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

They went in the store, opening the doors and hearing the ding of a bell attached to the entrance. It was a quaint, one-floor store, made to make sure its customers were comfortable. Around them were various rows of clothing out of various categories, from pants, jeans, t-shirts, jackets, vests, suits, and so much more, everything they had they could see with a single glance. And yet, even with such variety, Raiden could recognise that all of them were made to be durable, comfortable, and easy to move in, even in the midst of intense combat situations. All of that without sacrificing their style.

They heard the sound of ruffling about and turned to the cashier desk in front of them. Not long after, a woman popped up from behind the counter. She gave them an easy smile. "Welcome to the ReadyCloth clothing store. My name's Aka. How may I help you today?"

"Good morning, miss." Jaune stepped forward. "See, we're looking for some clothes that'll hopefully last a long time in combat. Do you have any recommendations?"

Aka glanced at Raiden and Jaune, taking in Raiden's cybernetics as well as both of their swords. "Ah, you must be Huntsmen. Well, we do have some tailored a bit more to your kind, to the right side of the shop." The woman pointed to their right, and continued, "But the others are still strong enough to last a long while." Aka pointed to the other sections. Then, she pointed a finger in the air. "Oh! I almost forgot, we've got a discount going on for Hunters and Huntresses, so shop all you like!"

"Alright then. Thanks, Aka." Jaune said.

"No problem." Aka smiled, "It's the least we could do for all you hard work, helping us all against the Grimm."

"Right…" Raiden trailed off.

The store went silent after that. Jaune and Raiden went to look for their own sets of clothing, while Aka went back to dealing with other tasks.

At first, Jaune looked at the suit set section. Normally, he'd look for a hoodie, but after the *ehm* payday they just got, it's time for some more style, don't you think?

As the samurai browsed, his eyes were drawn to a white suit set paired with a blue shirt. Jaune approached it, interested. He took a closer look at it, trying to look for the smallest details.

'The fabric's good…' Jaune gave it a bit of a stretch, 'Won't rip easily…' He grabbed the right sleeves and waved it around a bit. 'Hm, might need to cut this out, though… Alright then, what's the price on this thing?'

Jaune looked over at the price tag. '400 Lien? Seems a bit too expensive…' He rubbed his chin, 'Maybe I can change the pants with some jeans…'

"Excuse me, Aka," Jaune called out. He took the set in his hand and showed it to the woman, "Can I switch the pants on these with some loose jeans?"

"Oh, sure!" Aka said, "Take any you like, and just leave the pants to me."

"Alright then." Jaune looked for the jeans section. As he looked for it, however, he noticed that he couldn't see Raiden anywhere in the store.

"Your friend just went in the changing room, if that's what you're wondering." Aka spoke up. She pointed to a room on the right side of the shop. "He should be coming out any second now, he didn't really take much."

"Oh?" Jaune raised an eyebrow. Aka gave a smile, and Jaune chuckled. He looked back towards the changing room. "Now I'm actually kind of interested…"

A few seconds later, the changing room's doors opened. Out stepped Raiden…

Wearing a black-and-white flowery mariachi hat, paired alongside a black poncho with white square-shaped embroidery patterns.

The mariachi hat covered Raiden's eye, casting a shadow over the rest of his face. Using his left hand, he pushed the hat up with his claws and smirked at Jaune. His red eye glinted. "Hola, amigo."

The loud smack of Jaune's facepalm can be heard in the store.

Meanwhile…

Taiyang stood patiently within the CCT Tower, looking at the screen patiently for his call to connect. After a few rings, the other end finally managed to pick up.

His daughters' faces became visible on the screen, smiling wide and true. Taiyang grinned in return.

"Hey, Dad." Yang said first. "We came by the CCT tower over here, just like you asked." She recognised the caller ID, originating from the Mistral CCT Tower. "Have you finished your mission yet?"

"Heh, not yet, Yang." Taiyang chuckled. "That's what I wanted to tell you girls. Turns out there's a bit of a problem with the money. Should be sorted out soon. So until then, I'll-"

"Be stuck there?" Ruby asked.

"Kind of. But no need to worry, girls." Taiyang reassured, "Your old man'll do just fine. Now, what do you want for souvenirs?"

"Oh, oh!" Ruby jumped in place, excited. "I heard there's a new comic book issue coming out, and Mistral's got an early release date! Can you get them, Dad?" Ruby turned on her puppy dog eyes. "Please~!"

Taiyang chuckled. "Sure, Rubes. And what about you, Yang?"

Yang smiled, "Meh, anything will do, Dad."

"Alright then." Taiyang nodded. Before he could speak again, however, Ruby interrupted him with another hyper-filled sentence.

"Oh, and Dad, you'll make sure to watch us fight later, right?!" Ruby jumped up a bit in her spot. "The Vytal Festival Tournament's in a few weeks, apparently it got delayed for security or something. But on the bright side, Professor Ozpin told us that we'd be going for sure!"

"Heh, I'll try, sweetheart." If Taiyang could ruffle her hair from the screen, he would've. Instead, he gave her the proudest smile he had. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Awesome!"

"You'd better watch us kick some ass, Dad." Yang said, a fire in her eyes. "We're better than these guys by a long shot."

Taiyang smiled at his elder daughter. "Language, Yang."

Yang groaned, while Ruby giggled. "I'm 19 now, Dad!"

"Doesn't mean I'm not your Dad still."

"Ugh…" Yang threw her hands up.

"Don't mind Yang, Dad." Ruby giggled again, "She's just really proud on how well she did on the Breach."

'What?' Taiyang stopped for a moment. 'What did she mean, Breach?' "What do you mean by that, Rubes?"

"You don't know?" Ruby said, then paused, looking up in thought. "Oh, that's right, you had to walk all the way to Mistral, didn't you, Dad… The signal must've been pretty bad…" Ruby trailed off. After a few seconds, she shook it off and looked at her father again with a proud expression. "Well, it all started when we went on a mission to Mount Glenn. It was a pretty normal mission, until…" Ruby's expression crumbled and she looked downwards, shy and unsure.

"'Until what?"

"Until… I…"

Taiyang tried to reassure Ruby. "Come on now, Rubes."

"...IaccidentallyfoundaWhiteFangBasewithRomanTorchwick."

"What?!" Taiyang's eyes blew open. "What do you mean you accidentally found a White Fang base?And while Roman Torchwick'swith them, of all people?!"

Yang tried to calm their her father down."Aw, there's nothing to be scared of, Dad." she put her arms behind her back. "They took a train, used it to blow up the wall, and then the Grimm tried to go in. Good thing is, team RWBY was there! We kicked all of their butts…!" She coughed into her hand, "With the professors' help, of course. Oh, and the worse that civilians got were minor injuries. All in all, a win for us!"

That didn't seem to have calmed the Hunter one bit. Taiyang's mind was still reeling, unable to comprehend the fact. Vale's been breached, a major Kingdom's been breached. His daughters and their team, they fought against the White Fang and the man from Rome, Roman Torchwick in something that's just short of an invasion.

What did that mean, if even the Kingdoms proper weren't safe anymore?

He didn't care if his daughters came out unscathed, The White Fang combined with Torchwick were still above any Huntress-In-Training's paygrade. They're classified as legitimate threats, real criminals, and for a reason. Ruby may have gotten in to Beacon early because of that robbery fiasco with Roman back then, but that didn't mean she had to hunt him everywhere she went!

A fact that he can't seem to get through her thick skull, even after two and a half years and countless incidents. At first, it seemed innocent enough, but now it didn't seem like his daughter had to even try, and the stakes kept getting higher and higher.

Did he support them trying to be Huntresses? Yes. Were they good enough right now to be fighting inter-Kingdom threats? No.

"Can you girls not have a normal time in Beacon?" Taiyang sighed, trying his best to keep calm. "Why do you have to worry me so much?"

"Doesn't seem like we'd do well in 'normal', Dad." We're just that good."

'What?!'

Yang smiled a little, again trying to comfort her father. "'Sides, you know how Blakey is about the White Fang. She's my best friend, and I can't let her go on alone."

"And neither can the rest of us, Dad." Ruby finally found her voice again, eyes resolute. "We have to stick together, all of us."

Taiyang's view blurred, eyes becoming wide.

What were his girls thinking?

Could it be-

No, no, no please no…

He let out a breath quickly, desperate for air. His breaths were getting shorter and shorter every second.

Torchwick should be handled by the cops, or full-blown Hunters.

Taking down the White Fang, that was the military's job, and the Arcs' job too. Tanner Arc, Jasmine Arc, Cyan Arc, Indigo Arc….

And Jaune .

Taiyang looked away, eyes hazy and the world around him slowly muting away. The White Fang always, always, shot to kill. If not, then they've got something far worse planned for you. Even if they were weak, they were legitimate threats, and most of all, they're people.

They weren't Grimm, who for all intents and purposes can be categorised, studied, evaluated, and after all of that, predicted. That's what every mission on an Academy has to go through. Students only face young Grimm, to learn their most basic patterns. Only last year students get to face middle-aged ones, and that's with heavy supervision. And lastly, they were things you could kill with no remorse.

But people, they can't be categorised. They're wild, they're uncertain, they're individuals with their own ways of thinking. Not to mention the moral dilemmas….

"You're telling me.…that those Hunters are CHILD SOLDIERS?!"

"When will their hands be stained… like yours and mine?"

"Could they be right…?" Taiyang whispered, still looking away from the screen.

"Dad?" Yang spoke, leaning in closer and eyes showing concern. 'They? Who are 'they?'' She thought, but pushed it aside for another time."Dad, what's wrong?"

Her father didn't seem to hear her.

Ruby shared a glance with her sister. Ah, she heard it too. Quickly, Ruby looked back at her father and leaned closer to the screen. "Dad… Dad!"

"...Did you kill anyone?" Taiyang whispered, everything but his lips still unmoving.

"O-of course not!" Ruby denied, eyes wide with surprise. "They're all arrested, hopefully behind bars for a long time."

"Good." His tone was steady, monotone. "And Torchwick?"

"In General Ironwood's custody." Yang confirmed.

"Good, good…" Taiyang whispered. He took slow, deep breaths as his daughters got even more worried. He tried to forcefully calm himself. Then, once everything had settled, his senses returned, he looked at his daughters once again. He steeled his resolve.

"After this, all of you are going to stop with the vigilante nonsense."

"W-what?" Yang whispered. "Come on, Dad, we're doing great out here! Who knows what could've happened if we weren't there! Besides, Profseeor Ozpin said-."

"Yang." Taiyang cut her off. "Do I make myself CLEAR?!"

Yang stepped back, eyes wide. Dad never raised his voice, never. Not since Summer died. And even if she was to fight back, Taiyang was already shutting down before their eyes just a moment earlier. And that hasn't happened since, well…

This must've been bad. Real bad.

Yang relented. "A-alright, Dad."

"And Ruby?"

Ruby almost squeaked. "O-okay, Dad. .You got it."

Taiyang nodded to himself and let out a breath. "Cut transmission."

The system ended the call ended right then and there.

What a mess.

Taiyang tried to clear his head again as best he can. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and massaged his forehead. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again and began walking away, taking steps to leave the tower.

His thoughts continued to spiral, even as he descended via lift and walked past the CCT Tower's exit. His girls kept getting in danger, doing things no student should be doing. He begrudgingly brushed it off before, but now, with Vale being breached...

'The White Fang's getting bolder, and Vale's not safe anymore.' Taiyang thought. 'The world is becoming more dangerous than ever… Why can't they just deal with this once they're real Huntresses?'

On his way leaving Haven grounds, area silent while students were taking classes, he saw Leonardo walking hurriedly in his direction, most likely to the CCT Tower behind him.

"Headmaster." Taiyang respectfully greeted, voice only just above a whisper.

"O-oh, hello, Tai." Leonardo chuckled nervously, "just called someone?"

"The girls back in Vale." Taiyang tried to give a small grin. It was shaky at best. "Didn't expect to see you again this quick, but I have to ask, how's the license process going?"

At this, Leonardo flinched. He mumbled, "It's going... well enough, I suppose."

"Ah," Taiyang nodded in understanding, "Bureaucracy?"

"...You could say that." Leonardo took the chance. "Look, I have to make a call," The Headmaster motioned to the tower behind Taiyang, "Lots of stuff to do." He walked past the Hunter and towards the CCT Hunter. "I'll talk to you later, Tai."

He walked past Tai, who was standing still with a shadow covering his face. The Hunter stayed silent, even as their backs were towards each other. That was until after a few seconds, just before Leonardo walked away from hearing range.

"Leo."

Leonardo stopped in his tracks and turned to face Taiyang. "Huh? What is it,?"

"You'll keep your students safe, right?"

Leonardo forcefully smoothed out his expression, even if Tai couldn't see it. "Of course, Tai."

Taiyang visibly relaxed from that, shoulders losing all tension.

Hunters and Huntresses-In-Training were strong and skilled. In a way, they can't be compared with polices and militaries.

There was power with love, with passion, with sticking together through thick and thin...

But having power, etching it into your very being, that was a danger in its own right.

'This is bad.'

Those were the words that echoed in Leonardo's head. Over and over again, like a broken record that pushed its owner closer and closer to the edge. And there was one reason for that.

He had just contacted Watts a few hours ago, long before dawn to avoid suspicion. He wanted to ask the scientist for help in taking down technologically advanced threats to the Queen.

Nothing could've prepared him for the shock that Watts would refuse to help him.

"What do you mean, 'technologically advanced?'" The scientist scoffed. "My magnum opus is out there, hidden by that bastard Ironwood. It is the most advanced technology Remnant has ever seen, and you're telling me some vagabonds can compare, that they are even worthy of my attention?

Back then, Leonardo stuttered. He couldn't answer clearly.

"We scraped that thing clean years ago, there's nothing that can compare, especially not 'wandering swordsmen'. My technology is simply out of this world." Watts chuckled. "Besides, it's time you proved your worth to the Queen, isnt it?" Watts smirked back then, " And how could you do that with me always helping you?"

Then, the transmission cut off.

At first, he had panicked. 'This is bad thisisbad whatamIgoingtodo?!' Watts was his single best help with anything related to cybernetics! His best plan to win this in a curb-stomp, no risks involved! He couldn't brute force this by himself, he just couldn't beat them in pure strength!

And then, what would happen if the Queen found him useless?! WHAT WOULD HAPPEN THEN?!

Unless…

Unless he had help from those stronger than him.

Yes, yes, that could work…

Evening out the battlefield… using others to kill…

He relaxed. Yes, maybe that could work.

Victory will be assured.

And so, after his call, he hurriedly formed a plan. As he figured out before, his best bet was getting help from other people. Then, he'll weaken all of these threats to him and use his allies to take them out one by one. In the end, they'll all die with no one being the wiser and his position still secure. He'll prove his worthiness, his value, and he'll survive another day.

This very plan was the reason he's walking towards the CCT right now. He had two calls to make, both of them to contacts outside Kingdom walls. Two people who just might lend him a hand, though one may need a bit of convincing to see how strong these threats really are.

And they'll get caught in some'accident's, nothing more, nothing less.

With that thought, Leonardo entered the CCT Tower and went into a private room, a special place for him to call without anything being recorded and no sound leaking through the walls. It was dimly lit by low-brightness lights. The final touch, that there were no windows at all, ensuring utmost privacy.

The Headmaster began to dial the two contacts. As he did so, Leonardo went over his enemies once again.

Jaune, Raiden, and Taiyang were dangerous. They have to be taken out, there was no other option.

He'll convince his allies of their danger by even existing, to join his side and kill them all without a second thought.

He will survive, no matter the cost.

Review Responses!

To NeroAlmia, probably not :) and I'm glad that you agree on the Leo part! Thanks for the compliments!

To Skeletalrepublic, thank you, thank you so much!

To Mernom, yes, yes he did.

To Shashenka, thanks, glad you liked it!

To ISuckM8, I was shaping it, like, the unknown factors of many semblances compared to the relatively more predictable nature of cybernetic enhancements. Besides, if Raiden and Jaune just decided to off Jade, then where'd they go? They'll have a ton of people on their trail, and fact of the matter is, they can't fight endlessly (not yet, that is.)

To Zakuzilla, thank you!

To SolSparda369, Glad you liked it!

To Salamandra134, thanks! And as for the RWBY and JNPR thing, that's coming, but still a bit far away… I'm sorry.

To Reader 1O1O, That will be a plot point, but later down the line.

To Kabuto S. Inferno, as usual, thanks for the review! I really can't say anything after the first review, and as for the second review, I'd say that Blu's best chances are against an MGS4 era Raiden, and that's still be in Raiden's favour (a 60/40-ish matchup. Close, but just not there). And yeah, Leonardo's just a bitch. He is, in Sam's words, "men like you, bastards who keep the status quo, send others to die… all from your cushy corner office."

To Notsae, you're right on the Remnant learning about proper nanomachines and cybernetic enhancements part. I wholly agree with you on that one. As for the other thing, the entire reason I made the technology-is-incompatible plot point was so Jaune wouldn't be too OP, at least not that soon in the story. And while I don't really see how I could fix it if I were to rewrite the story, I do agree that you have a point. As for the RWBY verbatim stuff, I don't… plan so? I mean, even when we get to the Vytal Festival Tournament, I don't really think I'm going to force Jaune to go to school stuff. And getting back to that rewrite part, your idea was the original plan for me. But after some thought back then, I didn't think that it was fair that Jaune went from Chapter 1 to like Chapter 3 or 4 with such a drastic change. Which, as you, said, the execution could've been done better. In short, I agree with you on the bloatedness of the last few chapters of MGRR, and yet I can't see myself changing it too much with my writing capabilities as of now. That doesn't mean, however, that there are people who couldn't do better. Oh, the best explanation of Blu fighting Raiden is like this. You know how when you fight a, let's say a Level 5 CPU in Smash Bros Ultimate, and you're not even trying. The game as it is right now is pretty even. Then the CPU pulls out something cool that you didn't expect, and you're like "wow, that was pretty good!" then you get serious and the match ends in 5 seconds. That's really what I was trying to convey, and I'm sorry if it didn't come clear. Don't worry, if the U.C Duo were to get serious, no one would really stand a chance.

To Sarc21, oh you betcha.

To Victorius 435, glad you enjoyed it! And as for Adam, heh, we'll just have to wait and see, 'cause I got big plans for him.

To bosterflaming, thanks!

To ThyDevoutBeliever, And also another one, "Not yet! It's not over yet!"

To Reinkasashi, glad you found that out :)

To Anon, that'll will play along in around two or three chapters , but that's against the Grimm. The be most prominent of it will be in the final parts of the arc. Sorry for the wait.

To Guest (1), And I LOVE [CENSORED]

To Guest (2), *finger guns* eyyyyy

To Big E, XD

To Ironmchfn, glad you liked it and found it interesting! Can't say much else other than stick around and find out!

To Reader(1), about the team RWBY part, I hope this chapter provided a nice serving of it.

To Gonsmoss, hope you're enjoying this so far! Hope you'll continue to like it! As for the Dust part, The U.C just simply ran out, like all other natural resources. Which may or may not be in-canon with RWBY, but oh well, to late to back out now. About the Grimm, that'll come in later, though I do have some ideas in mind.

To Dracoog101, glad you thought this was good!

To Reader (2), probably not on the Rose-Technology bit, but I will have to do some more research. As for the Qrow part, I'm still figuring his part on this story, though I don't think it'll be anything too major.